Haridwar Teen Ends Life After Suffering Tick-Borne Disease

A 14-year-old boy suffering from a tick-borne disease shot himself to death on the evening of Sunday, 4 February, in Haridwar. Satvik Sharma, a student of ninth standard in Delhi Public School (DPS), used his father's licensed pistol and took his own life on the upper floor of his house when his parents were downstairs.

He was alone in his room. He managed to take out his father’s pistol from the cabinet and shot himself in his head. He was suffering from a tick-borne disease for the past eight years. Due to this disease, his hands and legs would start trembling. He was also in depression.

Sanjeev Thapiyal, ASI

The police have seized the pistol used by the boy, the ASI said.

According to the US Centre of Disease Control, ticks, also classified as Arachnids, can be infected with bacterias, parasites or viruses. A bite from an infected tick can lead to a host of diseases like monkey fever.

According to Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, a British research institute, since 2012 India has witnessed around 500 cases of ticks-borne disease leading to death of at least 340 people.

(With inputs from ANI)

Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam

(The Quint is now on WhatsApp. To receive handpicked stories on topics you care about, subscribe to our WhatsApp services. Just go to TheQuint.com/WhatsApp and hit the Subscribe button.)